2008 Volkswagen R32, 2011 SoCal Fastivus at Buttonwillow Raceway
Buttonwillow Raceway is located about 35 miles WNW of Bakersfield, CA. It can be a 'day trip' from L.A., but for maximum racing time you'll want to stay in Bakersfield or Buttonwillow.
For the June 12, 2011 SoCal R32 Fastivus event, we used the '#13 CW' track configuration. For reasons I don't understand, they publish their track maps with South up. With VWOA sponsoring the event, the track fee was a laughable $32 (thanks VWOA). Our facilitator was Speed Ventures.
Because I had prior track experience with Speed Ventures, they bumped me up to the 'intermediate' class, and I did not get any ride along coaching. I probably could have been more assertive about this, but I wasn't. I voluntarily went to the supplemental 'beginners' briefing, but it was pretty much a re-hash of the main briefing.
In the brief, they mentioned that the wall coming out of the Esses was soemthing of a 'car magnet' and to be careful through there. I didn't have any problem through that part of the track as long as traffic was clear (the pit exit comes off that section, and sometimes exiting traffic will cross from 'the line' on the right over to the left). Perhaps cars with more HP or less handling capability than the R32 will let the Esses get them unsettled.
Being relatively inexperienced (third track day), I had a hell of a time finding the line on this course. I gave it my usual exuberant try, over-controlling the car and getting it a little loose. On my second outing, I actually left the track at the Sunset corner (the entrance to the front straight) - I was flat out through the Esses and the straight leading to Sunset, and I just plain braked too late, running out of braking and track surface, exiting neatly into the infield at city speeds in a cloud of dust.
Any time you go 'four wheels off', it earns you a black flag. Protocol for a black flag is you are supposed to exit the track at the pit lane and go talk to the 'flag boss' (I think that's the title) at the start / finish line area. He will then tell you what you did wrong (if you don't know) or briefly inspect your vehicle for damage, asking if it handles OK, etc. What was not real clear to me is what to do if you have a full lap to go just to get to the pit lane exit. The answer? Keep driving 'full race' if your car is in good shape. Acknowledge all the black flags with a nod or a wave. If your car is not handling 100%, drive at a safe speed and wave folks by. And if your car is leaking fluids or needs to be towed, get off in the infield and wait.
After being cleared to return to the track, I had the good fortune to 'wave by' a better driver, Ryan E. Ryan was driving a nearly identical car to mine, so any real advantage is ascribed to the 'nut behind the wheel'. Following Ryan, he showed me the line. I instantly knocked 10 seconds off of my laps, and I saw the 'gators' in a new light. Some of them are placed in a way that shows you the line - for instance at Phil Hill, there is a gator at the outside edge of the corner entrance. That's where you want to be as you let off the brake and turn in.
Finishing my session, I returned to the snack bar area to listen to Aaron the Speed Ventures coach 'talk the line' on paper again. Some things began to jell based on what I had seen on the track:
There was a tricky part. What Aaron said about the West Loop is that most cars should be able to manage full throttle through there, all the way from the hard left at Bus Stop to the hard braking on Phil Hill. The exception would be if your car was enormously powerful, like a Z06 'Vette.
In my quest for better lap times, I tried to work my way up to more and more throttle through the broad right hand sweeper known as Riverside. Somewhere in my third run, I went too far... at about 90 mph, I somehow got upset. I skidded sideways, getting hooked a little to exit the inside of the turn, departing the pavement at a yaw of about 30 degrees. It was a very exciting moment or two just trying to work the throttle and wheel to get the car pointed in the general direction it was flying. Once I got it straight, then I hammered the brakes as I bounded up and over the out of use 'Zorros Corners' in a cloud of dust. I was a little surprised to find my emergency flashers on. I sometimes forget that I enabled the euro feature via VCDS - if you hammer the brakes hard enough for long enough, the lights come on all by themselves.
Took a deep breath and took stock. The car is running, it's still shiny side up, it seems to roll straight without noise or vibration. Time to return to the track and collect my second black flag. The flag boss looked at me and said, "You again?" He looked me over, asked if my front grill was like that already (I remove part of it for racing, it's where the tow hook goes) and cleared me for more mayhem. I gave it about 'nine/tenths' for the remaining laps in that outing, as I was still a little rattled.
In my fourth and final outing for the day, I managed to get close to the speed I departed the track in that turn, and I turned in my best lap time (and block of lap times) for the day.
At the end of the day, I was laying on the ground to remove my tow hook and replace my grill. I saw a solid line of weeds tucked into the front edge of the aero skirt. My R32, the 90 mph lawn mower.
Follow up: I sent an email to Aaron at Speed Ventures, sharing my 'departure from controlled flight' based on his coaching. I had looked at an online video of Alvin T, a 2004 R32 owner and instructor driver, and I was pretty sure he was holding 'part throttle' in the section where I lost it.
Aaron's response: 'Alvin must not have been running race tires.' For street tires, my 235/40/18 Dunlop Direzza Star Specs are pretty good on the track. I'm pretty sure Alvin was running race tires (I saw them that day, and noted that they were just about shot). Looking at this video again (not sure if it's the same one), he may have been warming up.
In any case, I add this experience to my tool belt - "If you try to emulate a far better driver / rider, it might get you killed."
Send e-mail to: Todd
Event Results
FASTIVUS
SoCal R32 Track Day! (6/12/2011)
Timing
Name
LapTime
Speed
Make
Model
Year
Tires
HP
Steven Kraft
68
02:02.4
83.8
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Slicks
250
Raffi
Kazanjian
02:03.2
83.3
Volkswag
Golf
2001
Race
370
Chris Mora
02:05.0
82.1
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
0
Viken
Kazanjian
02:05.9
81.5
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
265
Drew Padilla
02:09.3
79.3
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
250
nedzad
zagovic
02:09.3
79.3
0
JoeBanga
02:10.1
78.9
Volkswag
GTI
2006
Street
210
DaveT
02:10.2
78.8
0
Alvin Tolosa
02:10.2
78.8
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
240
Ian Frechette
02:10.3
78.7
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
400
John Asplund
5
02:12.4
77.5
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
0
Armando
Rodarte
02:12.4
77.5
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
250
James
Strawson
02:12.8
77.3
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
350
Lizander
Pandy
02:13.1
77.1
Volkswag
GTI
2010
Street
320
Frederick
Gaudreau 90
02:13.4
76.9
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Race
0
Ryan
Escamilla
02:16.2
75.3
Volkswag
Golf R32
2008
Race
255
Jeremy Kermit
02:18.0
74.3
0
zmoney
02:19.7
73.5
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
0
Mike Hearon
02:20.8
72.9
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
0
Dan Hastings
02:20.9
72.8
Volkswag
GTI
2009
Street
200
Todd Peach
02:20.9
72.8
Volkswag
Golf R32
2008
Street
250
Kenji Watabe
80
02:21.4
72.6
Volkswag
Golf TDI
2010
Street
140
Larry L.
02:22.3
72.1
Porsche
914
1974
Race
110
Jared Franco
02:22.9
71.8
0
jonny yuan
02:23.3
71.6
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
240
Mike
Croutcher
02:24.6
70.9
Volkswag
Jetta
1990
Street
0
Matthew
McGinnis
02:25.2
70.7
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
241
Eric Martens
02:26.8
69.9
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
0
Peter
Hradilek
02:26.9
69.8
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
250
Matt Gabe
02:27.4
69.6
0
Jason Datoc
02:27.8
69.4
0
Fernando
Martinez
02:31.6
67.7
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
240
Jason Mealins
02:32.6
67.2
Volkswag
Golf R32
2004
Street
0
Mike Wong
02:36.9
65.4
Volkswag
Jetta Spor
2010
Street
0
Erik Ruggels
02:37.8
65
Volkswag
Golf R32
2008
Street
250